How To Build a Champagne Tower

Are you looking for a simple but stunning idea for your reception? Try a glamorous Champagne tower. Aisha Thompson (Veuve Clicquot brand manager) and John Wyatt (Tentation Potel and Chabot event director) share tips on how to recreate one for your event.

Champagne Tower How-To1. Start with a firm, solid base for your tower (a separate table is best, with spillage tray at the base or underneath to catch any overflow.)

2. Always use coupe Champagne glasses (retro rounded saucer cups), not flutes. All of the coupe glasses in the tower should be identical. Most party rental places will have coupe glasses on hand for weddings.

3. The tower is essentially made up of successively smaller layers of squares. For example, if the bottom layer is 10 glasses by 10 glasses, the layer above that would be nine by nine, the layer above that eight by eight, and so on.

4. Make sure each glass touches the surrounding glasses. When done right, you'll see a diamond-shaped gap between each glass.

5. When building the next layer, center the stem of the glass over the diamond openings that were created by the layer below. Gingerly fill in the layer with glasses.

6. Repeat this assembly process until there is a single coupe glass on top.

7. Once fully assembled, begin slowly pouring Champagne from the the top glass and it will trickle downward. Larger-size Champagne bottles or magnums work best here.

8. If you're using the tower for decorative purposes only, assemble and fill with Champagne before the celebration. Then have trays filled with fresh Champagne at the base or passed to your guests.